At one time or another, most of us have experienced what it’s like to work in a negative environment – to be around others who lack optimism, consideration, and sometimes even courtesy. Regardless of how long you’ve been exposed to it, you’ve probably experienced some of the detrimental effects of being in such a negative space. So what can your team do to be more productive? It’s simple: Be happy.

A strong correlation actually exists between happiness and success. World-leading “positive psychology” expert and bestselling author, Shawn Achor, calls this “The Happiness Advantage.” While most people believe that they will be happy as soon as things in their life get better, Achor has discovered through extensive research in neuroscience and management studies that it is actually quite the opposite. In fact, the more positive we are, the more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive we will be in the workplace.

Most of us naturally respond better to positive feedback and constructive criticism rather than negative words and harsh criticism. The Happiness Advantage stresses that your brain works significantly better when it is positive than it does when in a negative, neutral, or stressed state. Therefore, if we want to increase productivity, we must increase happiness by making changes in both mindset and behavior.

Every business outcome improves when people begin their work from a positive place. This positivity and happiness has been shown to improve sales across an industry by 37 percent, productivity by 31 percent, the likelihood of a promotion by 40 percent and also correlates to about 10 times the level of engagement at work. That’s why it’s so important to cultivate a positive workplace.

Happiness is one of the biggest competitive advantages that exists for businesses today. So how can you start your employees from a more positive place? Companies and leaders can help people choose to be happier by providing them with education concerning how to raise positivity in the workplace as well as by giving them opportunities to engage socially. It also helps to provide praise when deserved. Happiness isn’t about the absence of a need to change. It’s about knowing that we are capable of doing just that.

To learn how Ascend Performance Group is helping organizations to improve their productivity and success through The Happiness Advantage, you can reach out to jim.knittel@ascendpg.com or give us a call today (585) 732-6191!